By Brooks Geiken

Recommendations for albums from multi-instrumentalist Roger Glenn and vibraphonist Mike Freeman.

Let me introduce you to multi-instrumentalist Roger Glenn (he plays some 18 instruments) and tell you a bit about this exceptional musician. He has been around for quite a while (since the late ’60s, to be exact), creating an illustrious career as a sideman on recordings by Mongo Santamaría, Dizzy Gillespie, Donald Byrd, and Cal Tjader. Most recently, Glenn has participated in a number of groups, such as the Count Basie Orchestra, where he played baritone saxophone, and Taj Mahal’s band, where he played flute, tenor, and alto saxophones, vibes, clarinet, and piccolo. Glenn is truly a jack of all trades and is a master of them all.

Seeing Glenn for the first time at The Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society (Half Moon Bay, California) in the ’80s, as a member of the group Cal’s Pal’s, was a revelation. Not only did he play vibes, but also percussion instruments, including the chekere and the güiro. On that beautiful Sunday afternoon at the beach, Glenn acted as the emcee and he took the assembled audience on a journey through Cal Tjader’s music. We could not have had a more congenial host nor a better guide. The second time I heard him live was at pianist Mark Levine’s memorial concert at The Freight in Berkeley. Glenn’s flute drove the melody of one of Levine’s most famous Latin compositions, “Linda Chicana.” Last year, I made it over to The Piedmont Piano Company in Oakland, California, to hear Glenn play a multitude of instruments in a relaxed setting, surrounded by pianos.

Joining Glenn on My Latin Heart, his first recording in five decades, is a seasoned group of Bay Area all-star musicians, featuring pianist David K. Matthewson, guitarist Ray Obiedo, David Belove on electric bass, and the late Paul Van Vageningen on drums. Derek Rolando is on congas, and special guests are John Santos and Michael Spiro on vocals and percussion.

On the centennial of vibraphonist Cal Tjader’s birth, Glenn (son of the famous jazz trombonist Tyree Glenn) attacks the vibes in a splendid tribute to his former boss on “Cal’s Guajira.” Producer/guitarist Obiedo adds his slashing guitar work to this track as well. Switching to alto saxophone, Glenn demonstrates his prowess on “Brother Marshall,” which is dedicated to all teachers/educators. Glenn’s alto flute takes the lead on the dreamy ballad “A Night of Love.”

The great thing about My Latin Heart is that you can put on any one of the tracks and be transported to another musical territory. For example, Matthews’s piano opening on “Congo Square” teases the melody in anticipation of the compelling New Orleans voicings from Glenn’s vibes and Obiedo’s guitar. The sacred bata drums played by Santos and Spiro create another exotic mood on the powerful Afro-Cuban inspired “Angola,” complete with chanting at the very end. Samba takes over in the Brazilian-flavored “Samba de Carnaval,” in which Spiro sets the rhythm on percussion.

Because there are so many superb instrumentalists on the album, Glenn decided to give each a significant solo opportunity. The electric bass playing of Belove enhances “Brother Marshall,” while Van Vageningen’s drums supercharge “Energizer.” Matthews, current pianist for Santana, is given multiple solos throughout the record; perhaps his most interesting is on “Samba de Carnaval.” Rolando’s congas beautifully evoke Cuba on “Zambo’s Mambo.” Obiedo supplies compellingly stinging guitar solos on “Congo Square” and “Angola.”

Of course, leader Glenn saved solo space for himself, displaying his talents on a number of instruments. Three tunes are dedicated to the flute — “Zambo’s Mambo,” “A Night of Love,” and the raucous “Samba de Carnaval”; three feature his vibes — “Cal’s Guajira,” the appropriately named “Energizer,” and “Congo Square.”

Pick up My Latin Heart and celebrate Glenn’s 80th birthday by enjoying his wealth of sumptuously satisfying sounds.

Circles in a Yellow Room is vibraphonist Mike Freeman’s latest album on VOF Recordings. Finished in 2019, the music remains fresh, no doubt because of the fine band Freeman assembled for the session, which included Guido González on trumpet and flugelhorn, Jim Gailloreto on tenor saxophone and bass clarinet, Rubén Rodríguez on electric bass, Roberto Quintero on congas, bongos, assorted percussion, and Joel Mateo on drums.

The up-tempo “Valentine” starts the album off auspiciously as the band swings into gear, feeding Freeman’s vibrant vibes. González on flugelhorn, Rodríguez on electric bass, and Gailloreto on bass clarinet grace the 6/8 rhythm of “Circles.” The band really snaps into high gear on the infectious “Back Slap,” where conguero Quintero shines. “Marble Race Rematch” sports an off-kilter melody that suits Freeman’s explorations on vibes. The soft bolero “River Watch” is enhanced by González’s understated work on flugelhorn.

Freeman, who composed all the tunes on the album, has a distinct gift for melody that permeates Circles in a Yellow Room. The record has enough variety to please any casual aficionado of Latin Jazz. As a homage to Cal Tjader’s centennial, we should be listening to more vibes.

Brooks Geiken is a retired Spanish teacher with a lifelong interest in music, specifically Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, and Black American music. His wife thinks he should write a book titled “The White Dude’s Guide to Afro-Cuban and Jazz Music.” Brooks lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.